Potato scoop



March 17, 1925. 1,530,148

.E. l. WHITEHEAD PoTATo scooP FiledAug. 22, 1924 Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES EUGENE I. WHITEHEAD, OF CANTON, SOUTH DAKOTA.

Application filed August 22, 1924. Serial No. 733,639.

To all cti/10m. it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EUGENE I. IVHLTE- HEAD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Canton, in the county of Lincoln and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato Scoops, of `which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to potato scoops and particularly to scoops `of this type for gathering relatively small quantities of potatoes from a bin in the retail trade.

It is the purpose of my present invention to provide a scoop of the type specified whose bottom is fiat throughout its entire extent so as to enable an operator, without exercising undue care, to move the scoop into a supply of potatoes with its entire bot tom bearing uniformly upon the floor of the bin and thus avoid cutting` and otherwise injuringl the potatoes; this in contradistinc` tion from those scoops of this type having1 their bottoms rounded at the rear or having heads extending below the tines. such as are shown in U. S. Patents 566,868; 291,395 and 411,879; and in the use of which extraordinary care must be exercised in order not to force the scoop into the potato supply with the advance ends of the tines elevated with resulting,- cuttingor injury to the p potatoes.

It is also the purpose of my invention `to so construct the scoop that the tines will be secured at their inner` ends only thus rendering them individually flexible and readily capable of adjusting themselves to inequalities in the floor of the bin over which the scoop is being moved.

I will describe my invention in the best form known to me at present, but it will be apparent that the same is susceptible to changes in forms and proportions and to desirable additions with the exercise of only ordinary mechanical skill and without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings chosen to illustrate my invention Figure 1 is a. perspective view of a potato scoop constructed in accordance with my invention; and

Figure 2, a longitudinal sectional view of the same.

Referring to the drawings my invention is shown as comprising a vU-shape frame member 10 defining the bottom of the scoop tom portion flat and'formed of a and having its bottom edge disposed throughout in a given plane. Confined within the member 10 is a` series o-f tines 11 secured at their inner ends to the frame member 10 and being` free throughout the remainder of their length both with respect to the member 10 and with respect to each other whereby they may flex individually to adjust themselves to inequalities of ay bin floor over which 'the scoop is being moved. Furthermore, the tines 11 are connected to the member 10 in such position as to dispose the lowermost surfaces thereof normally in the plane of the lower edge of the frame member 10, thus rendering;` the bottom of the scoop fiat throughout its entire extent.

Rising centrally from the U-shaped member 10 is a head 12 from which projects rearwardly a handle 13. A side and rear ,euard for the scoop'is provided by U-shaped elements 14 and 15 which are suitably secured at their arm connecting portions to the head 12 and at their free ends to the frame member 10 as clearly shown in the drawing. In the present embodiment of my invention I connect the members 14 and 15 with the head 12 by engaging said members respectively through passages 16 and 17 formed in said head.`

I claim:

1. A potato scoop having its entire bot-` tom portion flat and formed of a U-shaped frame member, aseries of tines confined within and secured to the member with theirlowermost surfaces normally included in the `plane of the lower edge of said frame member, a handle for the scoop, and a side and rear guard arranged above said frame member. n

2. A potato scoop having its entire bot- Uy-shaped frame member, within and secured at their inner ends t0 the member with their lowermost surfaces normally included in the plane of the lower edge of said frame member, said tines beingy free throughout the remainder of their length both with respect to the frame member and with respect to each other wherebyl they may flex individually to conform to inequalities in the floor of a bin over which the scoop is being moved, a handle for the scoop, and a side and rear guard arranged above said frame member.

3. A potato scoop having its entire bot.

a series of tines confined.,

tom portion Hat and formed of a U-shaped head, und a side and rear guard for the Yframe member, a series ol` tines confined scoop, said guard Comprising a` series of 10 Within and having their inner ends secured U-S'heped elements secured intermediately to to Said frame member with their lowermost said head and at their ends to the U-shaped surfaces included in the plane of the loweil frame member.

edge of said frame member, a head rising In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my from the arm Connecting portion of the signature.

frame member, a handle secured to said EUGENE I. VHITEHEAD., 

